Set Scouter
Set Scouter operates a North American online marketplace connecting film and commercial producers with residential film locations, handling discovery, viewing scheduling, payment escrow, and insurance coordination across eight major production markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMountain View, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Set Scouter does
Set Scouter Inc. is a privately held Canadian-incorporated company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with a US office in Los Angeles. Founded around 2012 by former film producers and led by founder and CEO Alex Kolodkin, the company operates a North American online marketplace that connects film, commercial, and branded-content producers with residential and commercial film locations. Its platform covers eight major production markets (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta) and offers 1,000+ locations across roughly 20 categories including kitchens, living rooms, lofts, bedrooms, warehouses, pools, and mansions.
The core product is a web-based two-sided marketplace that handles location discovery, in-platform messaging between producers and homeowners, in-person viewing scheduling, online booking, payment processing with escrow, security deposit management, and damage claim adjudication. The platform integrates Veriff for KYC/AML-compliant identity verification of both producers and location owners, Groove for customer support, and standard analytics tools. A premium tier, Set Scouter Pro, adds a concierge scouting service in which Set Scouter staff personally schedule producer scouting itineraries. The company has built an ecosystem around required production insurance through referral partnerships with Front Row Insurance (Canada) and Athos Insurance (US), which provide the $1M general liability co-insurable certificates required per booking. Optional add-on services (cleaning, catering, portable facilities, on/off-site medical teams) are also offered.
Set Scouter monetizes primarily through a non-negotiable, non-refundable 20% service fee on the negotiated rental rate (minimum $50 per booking), charged to producers. Supplemental revenue streams include add-on service fees, incrementing rescheduling fees ($100+ per occurrence), a 15% damage-claim transfer fee deducted from security deposits, and off-platform booking penalties (minimum $100). Listing is free for homeowners. The company has raised multiple early-stage rounds from DMZ (2013), Ontario Centres of Excellence (2014, 2015), BDC Venture Capital (2015), 500 Global (2016), and Freycinet Ventures (2018), and acquired Wrapal in March 2019 to extend inventory and footprint.
Set Scouter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Set Scouter
- Legal name
- Set Scouter Inc.
- Website
- http://www.setscouter.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Set Scouter operates a North American online marketplace connecting film and commercial producers with residential film locations, handling discovery, viewing scheduling, payment escrow, and insurance coordination across eight major production markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Set Scouter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Location Marketplace
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Locations Services (Scouting, Permits, Management) (MPADAFAE)
Keywords
Where Set Scouter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mountain View
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Set Scouter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Platform Commission / Service Fee: Set Scouter charges producers a 20% service fee on the agreed rental rate upon booking. The minimum service fee is $50 per booking. This is the primary revenue stream. The fee is non-negotiable and non-refundable. The fee adjusts if the negotiated rental rate changes. Set Scouter does not charge locations to list or to use the platform for bookings.
- Add-on Services: Set Scouter offers optional add-on services including cleaning, disinfecting sprays, garbage/recycling pickup, catering, portable facilities, and on/off-site medical teams. These services can be booked before or after production hours and do not count toward overtime penalties or rental rates.
- Rescheduling Fees: When a producer reschedules a booking, a rescheduling fee applies and increases by $100 with each subsequent reschedule. These fees are collected as separate payments and added to the location owner's payout.
- Off-Platform Penalty Fee: If a user circumvents Set Scouter to book a location directly, a penalty fee is charged to the user's default payment method, with a minimum of $100 and a maximum equal to the full service fee of the location's 12-hour rental rate or total agreed rental rate, whichever is higher.
- Security Deposit Transfer Fee: In the event of damage claims, producers are charged a 15% transfer fee on the total amount collected for the claim. This is deducted from the security deposit and retained by Set Scouter.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 20% service fee on rental rate (min $50) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 20% upfront + remainder rental + security deposit |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Security deposit: $1,000/day up to $2,500 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Rescheduling fees incrementing by $100 per occurrence |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Cancellation refund based on timing and policy type |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 15% damage transfer fee on claims |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Off-platform penalty: $100 minimum to full service fee maximum |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Set Scouter Pro: personalized scouting scheduling (quote-based) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Set Scouter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Set Scouter operates a North American online marketplace where film, commercial, and branded content producers discover, book, and pay for residential and commercial film locations owned by homeowners and property hosts. The platform handles the full booking lifecycle — searching curated listings, direct messaging with homeowners, scheduling in-person viewings, online booking, escrow-based payments, security deposit management, overtime tracking, and damage claim resolution — with an optional premium concierge scouting service (Set Scouter Pro).
Product overview
Set Scouter operates as a marketplace platform connecting film, commercial, and branded content producers with residential and commercial film locations across North America. The core product is the Set Scouter Platform, which encompasses location listings, messaging, viewing scheduling, booking, and payment processing. The platform is augmented by Set Scouter Pro (a premium concierge scouting module), Add-on Services (cleaning, catering, medical teams), ID Verification powered by Veriff, Payment & Escrow Services, a Cancellation Policy Framework, and a Community Code of Conduct. Insurance referrals to Front Row Insurance (Canada) and Athos Insurance (US) are also facilitated. A Help Center provides self-service support for both producers and locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Set Scouter Pro: A premium service offering personal assistance with scheduling and scouting, where Set Scouter team members help coordinate and plan scouting schedules for productions.
Products and services
- Set Scouter Marketplace Platform A web-based two-sided marketplace connecting film, commercial, and branded content producers with residential and commercial film locations across North America. Producers can search curated listings across 20+ property categories (kitchens, lofts, warehouses, mansions, pools, etc.) in cities including Toronto, NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, Vancouver, Montreal, and Atlanta, message homeowners, schedule in-person viewings, book online, and pay through an integrated escrow workflow.
- Set Scouter Pro A premium, quote-based concierge scouting service where a Set Scouter team member personally helps producers plan and schedule their scouting visits, coordinates viewings with homeowners, and delivers a complete scouting itinerary. Pricing is estimated based on the number of spaces to scout and the scouting timeline.
- Production Add-on Services Optional supplementary services available alongside a location booking, including cleaning, disinfecting sprays, garbage/recycling pickup, catering, portable facilities, and on/off-site medical teams. These services can be scheduled before, during, or after production hours and are billed separately from the rental rate.
Companies that use Set Scouter
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Set Scouter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Set Scouter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Front Row InsurancecoreFront Row Insurance is Set Scouter's recommended insurance partner for productions in Canada. Set Scouter refers producers who need short-term production insurance to Front Row Insurance. Productions are required to maintain a minimum of $1,000,000 in commercial general liability and provide two co-insurable certificates per booking.
- Athos InsurancecoreAthos Insurance is Set Scouter's recommended insurance partner for productions in the United States. Set Scouter refers US-based productions needing short-term or annual production insurance, equipment coverage, and event coverage to Athos Insurance. The partnership includes a dedicated Set Scouter partner page on Athos Insurance's website.
- VeriffcoreVeriff is Set Scouter's identity verification provider. Set Scouter uses Veriff's KYC and AML-compliant identity and document verification technology to verify the identities of both location owners and producers. Users receive a unique verification link, capture a photo of an ID document (passport, driver's license, or ID card) and a selfie, which Veriff's technology validates.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Set Scouter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HomeFilmLocations: HomeFilmLocations is a residential film location listing service that connects filmmakers with homeowners willing to rent their properties for shoots. It competes with Set Scouter in the residential film-location niche, particularly in the United States.
- Wrapal: Wrapal was a film location marketplace that Set Scouter acquired in March 2019. Prior to the acquisition, Wrapal was a direct competitor offering a similar residential-location marketplace for film and commercial productions.
- Peerspace: Peerspace operates an online marketplace for hourly rentals of unique spaces for meetings, productions, and events. It is the most direct competitor to Set Scouter, serving a very similar producer/customer base with overlapping residential and commercial space inventory and a take-rate monetization model.
- Splacer: Splacer is a marketplace platform that connects event and production organizers with unique venues, including film-shoot-ready spaces. It overlaps with Set Scouter's residential and commercial location inventory and shares a similar two-sided marketplace business model.
- Eventup: Eventup is a marketplace for unique event and production spaces, including residential and commercial venues. It overlaps with Set Scouter's space-rental marketplace model and serves a similar producer/agency customer segment.
- Giggster: Giggster is a marketplace that connects filmmakers, photographers, and content creators with unique filming locations, primarily residential homes. It directly competes with Set Scouter across film-ready residential inventory and producer-customer workflows.
Broad incumbents
- Airbnb: Airbnb is a global short-term rental marketplace that producers use as an alternative channel for filming locations, particularly for longer shoots. While Airbnb is a broad incumbent focused on travel rather than film production, its scale and brand recognition make it a significant indirect competitor for residential film location demand.
- Vrbo: Vrbo (formerly HomeAway) is a vacation rental marketplace that some producers tap for film-shoot housing and locations. It competes at the margins with Set Scouter for residential inventory but lacks film-specific workflows like co-insurable COIs and overtime tracking.
Others
- ProductionHUB: ProductionHUB is a directory and marketplace for production services, crew, equipment, and locations. It serves the same film and commercial production customer base as Set Scouter but operates as a broader production-services listing platform rather than a dedicated residential location marketplace.
- Location Managers Guild International: LMGI is a professional association for location managers and scouts in the film industry. It represents the traditional channel of film location scouting, providing competition and a benchmark for Set Scouter's digital marketplace model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Set Scouter social profiles
Digital presenceSet Scouter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Set Scouter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Set Scouter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Set Scouter M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Set Scouter
What does Set Scouter do?
Set Scouter operates a North American online marketplace where film, commercial, and branded content producers discover, book, and pay for residential and commercial film locations owned by homeowners and property hosts. The platform handles the full booking lifecycle — searching curated listings, direct messaging with homeowners, scheduling in-person viewings, online booking, escrow-based payments, security deposit management, overtime tracking, and damage claim resolution — with an optional premium concierge scouting service (Set Scouter Pro).
Is Set Scouter a public or private company?
Set Scouter is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Set Scouter founded?
Set Scouter was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Set Scouter based?
Set Scouter is headquartered in Mountain View, United States, in the North America region.
How does Set Scouter make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Platform Commission / Service Fee is the primary driver. The others are add-on Services, rescheduling Fees, off-Platform Penalty Fee and security Deposit Transfer Fee.
Who are Set Scouter's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HomeFilmLocations, Wrapal, Peerspace, Splacer, Eventup and Giggster. Broad incumbents are Airbnb and Vrbo. Others are ProductionHUB and Location Managers Guild International.
Does Set Scouter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Set Scouter.
What industry is Set Scouter in?
Set Scouter's product category is Film Location Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAFAE, Locations Services (Scouting, Permits, Management). Its SIC code is 6531.